The Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria was granted authorisation last week to teach Classical Greek at VCE level, starting in 2014.
With the authorisation granted by The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), the Greek Community of Melbourne will now be offering Ancient Greek, Units 1-4 at VCE level, as well as to students from Year 7 to Year 10.
“Education is one of the foremost priorities of the Greek Community and for many years our organisation has invested in providing support for the promotion of our language and culture,” education coordinator of the GOCMV, Theo Markos said.
Students wishing to complete Ancient Greek at VCE level are required to have studied the subject for two years prior to beginning Ancient Greek studies at VCE level.
“We are the only Greek language school in Victoria to receive such accreditation and as of next year our first Ancient Greek students will undertake the subject at VCE after two years of studying the subject,” Mr Markos said.
Program coordinator and Ancient Greek teacher, Alexandros Giannadakis, told Neos Kosmos that teaching Ancient Greek at VCE level was a necessity for the Greek community.
“Finally, the Greek community is the host of Ancient Greek at VCE level. This was absolutely necessary for our community – this is our heritage and our culture. I suppose that the Greek population in Melbourne will welcome this news gladly and that more and more students will decide to attend Classical Greek classes, and apart from Modern Greek, select Ancient Greek as a subject at the VCE level,” Mr Giannadakis said.
“I think that this accreditation will also mean more incentives for students to attend the classes, and to show more interest in the language.”
Apart from Balwyn and Xavier colleges offering Ancient Greek at VCE level in Victoria, Mr Giannadakis said that the Greek community schools will now be a third educational institution offering the subject at VCE level.
“This will be an after hours school, which means that other students – Greek and non – can attend the classes as well, regardless of whether their school offers it or not. It is a great achievement for the Greek community schools, as not many schools have the qualified teachers to offer this subject.”
Only days after the announcement has been made, the GOCMV has already received students’ enrolment in Ancient Greek VCE class for next year.
GOCMV reminded parents and students that the subject of Ancient Greek is scaled up – in 2013, this meant an additional 16 marks for those students who received a score of 30.
“The Modern Greek language is the daughter of Ancient Greek. By attending Ancient Greek classes, students will acquire a better knowledge of Modern Greek. And they will be able to explain their language better,” Mr Giannadakis said.
Parents who wish to enrol their children in Classical Greek are advised to call the Community’s offices on 9662 2722 or email education@greekcommunity.com.au